Vibratory switch



M r h 1, 1949. H. c. RESSLER ETAL VIBRATORY SWITCH Filed Oct. 20. 1944 IN VEN TORS fizzy/0 6. fiessler BY Jo/anJLLorqg m 141.

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 1, 1949 VIBRATORY SWITCH Hugh 0. Ressler, Bayside,

H. Long, Faximil of Delaware Long Island, and John Jackson Heights, N. Y., assignors to e, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation Application October 20, 1944, Serial No. 559,554

The present invention concerns vibrators and,

in particular, vibrators in power supplies for in-' terrupting current from a direct current source and applying it to the primary of an alternating current power transformer as used in radio receivers and the like.

One object of the present invention is to provide a vibrator having longer life and greater power handling capacity than vibrators of the same size hitherto available.

Another object is to provide a vibrator and an improved circuit therefor.

These and other objects will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention given in connection with the various figures of the drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of one form of the present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the form shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic circuit diagram embodying the form of the-invention shown in Fig. 1.

In the art of radio and electronics almost all systems require high voltage direct current for energizing the plate circuits of thermionic vacuum tubes and for similar applications. A convenient method of deriving this high voltage direct current is first to provide a suitable high voltage alternating current by means of a step-up transformer connected to a low voltage power line and then to rectify and filter the high voltage alternating current to produce the desired direct current voltage. In case no source of alternating current is available it has become common practice to interrupt a source of direct current connected in series with the primary of an alternating current step-up transformer, thereby producing any desired high alternating current voltage across the secondary. The device used to interrupt the primary circuit direct current is commonly known in the art simply as a vibrator.

While there are a number of variations in vibrator construction they generally include a driving coil actuating a resonant reed which carries one or more pairs of contacts for interrupting the direct current in the transformer circuit and the driving coil.

In the vibrator of the present invention greatly increased life and current handling capacity have been achieved by means of important changes in structure and circuit over vibrators hitherto available. The usual vibrating reed has been replaced by a stifi swinger member flexibly mounted at one end. This swinger is more rugged and pro- 2 Claims. (Cl. 200-90) vides a more eflicient magnetic circuit for the driving coil. The contacts to be opened and closed are mounted independently of the swinger and are actuated by a mechanical coupling bearing against the swinger. The contacts are connected so that no current plasses thru the swinger. Longer life and greater current capacity is accomplished by this construction and circuit connection since the mechanical and electrical functions in the vibrator are separated. Large cur-- rents may be handled without affecting the life or temper of the swinger mechanism.

Fig. 1 shows a top plan view of one form of the present invention mounted on a base I. Magnet coil 2 actuates swinger l5 thru the magnetic pull on armature l6 secured to its distal end. Swinger I5 is flexibly mounted at its proximal end by means of spring I! clamped between mounting blocks 6 and ill by means of screws I9. Contact springs 3 and 4 are held by mounting block 5 and screws 8.

Fig. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 1 taken along line 2-2 and shows clearly the relationship between the various parts. Swinger I5 is actuated by magnet coil 2 acting thru core 1 and armature l8. As swinger l5 vibrates contact points Ill-II and 2l-22 are closed alternately by means of pusher arms 14 and 23 respectively. While Fig. 2 shows only two upper and two lower contact points H], ll, 2! and 22 there are actually four upper and four lower contact points operated in parallel. Fig. 1 indicates the positions of the upper four contact points, and there are four similarly positioned lower contact points. Contact points [0 and I I are mounted on spring arms 4 and I2 respectively and the other six contact points are similarly mounted. It will be seen that contact points Ill-ll and 2I22 are operated from a point of fractional amplitude on swinger 15. This increases the force available for closing the points.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic circuit diagram suitable for the vibrator form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. A source of direct current, not shown, is connected to terminals 44 and 45. Terminal 45 is connected to center point 26 of alternating current transformer primary 25 thru radio frequency choke 46. The other terminal 44 of the direct current source is connected to contact points H and 22 by means of lead 24. Contact point [0 is connected to one end of primary 25 and contact point 2! to the other end of primary 25. Thus when swinger I5 vibrates, terminal 44 is connected first to one end of primary 25 and then to the other by the rapid alternate closing of contact points l-il and 2I-22. This alternates the current flowing in primary 25 and induces further alternating currents in high voltage winding 28 and heater voltage winding 30. In order to start and sustain vibration of swinger IS the magnetic driving coil 2 is connected across the normally open contact points l0'-l l. Upon connecting the direct current source to terminals "-45, current flows in coil 2 attracting the end of swinger l5 and closing contact points l0-ll. When these points make contact, a large current is allowed to flow in one-half of primary and coil 2 is shorted. As soon as coil 2 is shorted the driving magnetic field collapses allowing swinger 15 to return in the other direction. At the extreme of the return swing contact points 21-22 close sending a large current thru the other half of primary 25. This process repeats itself rapidly alternating the current in primary 25. The swinger, due to its mass and the elasticity of spring [1, is a mechanically resonant device and vibrates at a predetermined frequency.

The windings 28 and 30 are connected to a vacuum tube rectifier and'filter for generating a predetermined direct current voltage. Center tap 29 is connected to output terminal 43, one side of filter condensers 31 and 38 and forms the negative terminal of the rectified direct current. The outer ends of winding 28 are connected to plates 34 and 35 of rectifier tube 33. Winding 30 supplies the heater voltage for heater 36. Filter chokes 39, 40, and 4| are connected in the positive output lead between output terminal 42 and heater 36. Condensers 21 and 31 and resistor 32 are used to cut down contact point arcing and radio frequency noise.

It will be noted that the stiif swinger l5 and the actuating arms l4 and 23 operated at partial amplitude form a rugged mechanical contact point actuating system. It will also be noted that swinger i5 is not connected in the electrical circuit and hence no electrical currents capable of heating or otherwise damaging or decreasing the life of swinger i5, armature l6 and spring 11 flow in the swinger circuit.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been shown and described, many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art within the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in theappended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an armature and contact assembly for a vibrator, a stiff elongated swinger member of dielectric material, a flexible mounting for swingably sustaining said swinger member at its proximal end, an armature secured to the distal end of said swinger member, at least two pairs of complementary electrical contacts, the armature and the swinger member and the flexible mounting therefor being electrically independent of the electrical contacts, a springy mounting for at least one contact of each of said pairs, two pusher arms respectively associated with said springily mounted contacts and including resilient portions disposed adjacent the opposite sides of the swinger member near its proximal end, so that as said swinger member swings it alternately actuates said pusher arms, which in turn alternately bring the springily mounted contacts into electrical engagement with their complementary contacts.

2. An armature and contact assembly for a vibrator, including an elongated swinger member of stiff dielectric material, a longitudinally disposed leaf spring having one end secured to the proximal end of said swinger member to allow the same to swing like a pendulum, means to rigidly sustain the other end of said spring, an armature secured to the distal end of said swinger member, two pairs of spring mounted complemental-y contacts positioned respectively on two opposite sides of said swinger member, the spring mounting for each of said contacts being a flat leaf spring positioned substantially parallel to the at rest position of the swinger member, a pusher arm secured to one contact of each of said pairs, each of said pusher arms being a substantially U-shaped leaf of springy material, one end of which is secured to one of said contacts and the other end of which abuts one side of the swinger member adjacent the proximal end thereof so as to be actuated by said swinger member during the operation of the latter.

HUGH C. RESSLER. JOHN H. LONG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

